Mobile Web Performance Matters More Than Ever, According to New Research at 4G World 2010

Yankee Group, in partnership with Keynote Systems, ranks the top mobile Web sites across four categories.

Chicago, Ill., 4G World 2010 Oct 19, 2010 - The mobile Web isn't just a novelty anymore--it has become a mainstream way to engage consumers on the go. Today from 4G World®, Yankee Group announced its annual report, "Best of the Anywhere Web 2010," which ranks mobile Web sites on the basis of user orientation, device and network adaptability, design and overall effectiveness. This year's study evaluated mobile sites across four categories: shopping, transportation, technology and mobile operators. The results are vastly improved from previous years, with 16 of the 48 evaluated sites achieving a passing grade, compared with just four sites passing in 2009 and zero passing grades in 2008. The findings demonstrate that more companies are beginning to understand how to effectively mold content to users, devices and networks.

To add more quantitative precision to the rankings this year, Yankee Group partnered with Keynote Systems®, which evaluated this year's sites for average download speed, network performance and reliability using its Mobile Web Perspective® service. Keynote's data was collected from July 26 through Aug. 1, 2010, and provided the study with data on load times for sites and types of content delivered in response to different devices.

The study's evaluation of 48 mobile Web sites reveals:

  • Brick-and-mortar firms can compete with online firms on the mobile Web. Walmart tops the list of shopping sites with excellent use of location-based information and the fastest response time in the category, besting online brands such as Amazon, Cars.com and buy.com.
  • Public transit sites can equal the efforts of top airlines. BART, Amtrak and JetBlue all tie for first place in our transportation rankings, despite dramatically different approaches to serving mobile users. JetBlue is the most sophisticated of the three, delivering its content in a record 4.11 seconds on average.
  • Old brands such as AOL can compete with the likes of Google. While Google still ranks as the top-scoring mobile Web presence we've measured, AOL.com shows a surprising third-place finish in the technology category this year, earning major points for its range of device service and use of location detection.
  • Sprint is leading the mobile operators onto the Anywhere Web. While three out of four mobile operators still don't have mobile Web sites that can be accessed by non-subscribers, Sprint Nextel has broken ranks with the pack and built a marginally successful one. The only question left is how long it will take Sprint's competitors to wake up and follow suit.


"Two years ago, having a mobile Web site at all was a differentiator in most categories. Now, all top companies have some sort of mobile presence," said Carl Howe, Yankee Group research director and co-author of the report. "Some of the best practices we saw in our 2010 rankings included sites using device detection, location sensing, and, as Keynote's number brought to light, fast back-end performance. With Anywhere consumers snapping up Web-enabled phones, businesses must take heed of lessons from studies like this. A business that doesn't address the mobile Web audience just isn't Anywhere."

Yankee Group will present the study's findings in greater detail at a live webinar event on Tuesday, Oct. 26, beginning at 11:00 a.m. EDT. Register to participate at http://web.yankeegroup.com/2010OctWebinarRegistration.html

Keynote and Perspective are registered trademarks of Keynote Systems, Inc.

About 4G World
4G World is the first industry conference and expo covering the entire ecosystem for next-generation networks supporting high-speed broadband and full mobility, anywhere Internet access, and mobile content, applications and transactions. 4G World showcases the first 4G mobile broadband networks and applications being launched in 2010 throughout the world.  The event Web site is http://www.4gworld.com.

About Yankee Group
Yankee Group is the preeminent research and advisory firm equipping enterprises to profit in a mobile world. The core of our content is proprietary research and analytics on the attitudes, behaviors and usage patterns of mobile users. Based on this research, we provide a range of actionable data, insights and advices to marketing, strategy and product executives driving the mobility revolution in leading companies worldwide.

Contacts:

  • Daniel Berkowitz, Keynote Systems corporate communications, +1-650-403-3305, dberkowitz@keynote.com

     

  • Ashlee Clevenger, Yankee Group communications, +1–617–598–7268, mediarelations@yankeegroup.com